Carp tourney brings out a youthful enthusiasm

OGDENSBURG — Young anglers lined up Saturday from Ogdensburg to Waddington for the last chance to get their hands on the St. Lawrence River's carp — and thousands of dollars in prizes.

Marshals at the sixth annual St. Lawrence International Junior Carp Tournament also tagged all of the fish caught on behalf of the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

The 11- to 18-year-old youths posed for photos with their fish as their catches were weighed and tagged before tossing them back into the river. Each of the 176 competitors hoped to bring home a trophy and one of the cash prizes, which totaled $10,000.

There was also a bonus prize of $15,000 for the one angler with the four largest carp weighing in over 100 pounds, although that prize went unclaimed.

But at the end of the day, the tournament was all about families, fishing and fun, said Jo Ann Roberts, events and promotions manager for the St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce.

"I met a grandfather and a grandson who have been here every year. It started as a birthday present, but the boy got so into it," she said. "Now he's going to be too old to compete, and he wants to come back as a marshal to help the younger kids."

That's a sentiment the Wing family can understand. As marshals, they teach kids how to rig bait, cast and reel, and help them net, weigh and tag their catches all weekend.

"We're a family of fishermen and volunteers, I guess," said Sue A. Wing, Ogdensburg, as the family ate lunch in a gazebo by the water.

Her husband, Thomas W., was a marshal for the first junior carp tournament in 2000, and saw a need for volunteers — so he started with his family.

"I was the first one to get involved. Then I got my son and his wife, and my nephew and his wife and their kids," Mr. Wing said. "I grew up on the river, so it's really good to see kids take interest in it. After we give out the trophies, there's a lot of kids that sign up right then for next year."

Shanon M. Wing said she didn't realize how much people enjoyed carp fishing until she starting attending tournaments.

"I just thought, 'Ooo. Dirty bottom-feeders,'" she said.

Or "garbage-eaters," as her husband, Steven J., calls carp, listing off the odd concoctions people use to catch them.

"There's so many different kinds of bait. I always think if I bring a brick of Limburger cheese that would do it," he said.

The fish are particularly fond of sweet corn chum and balls of bread dough flavored with pineapple as bait, Mr. Wing said.

Tyler D. Wall, 16, of Lisbon, tosses a combination of oats, maple syrup and Nilla Wafer crumbs in the water to attract carp.

"They'll eat nearly anything crushed up," he said.

Corrie R. Peters, 13, whom Mrs. Wing called "a little bitty thing," had the biggest catch Saturday morning. She netted a 33-pounder — her biggest fish yet — from her spot on the Ogdensburg shore.

The Toledo, Ohio, resident said this is the third tournament she has been to with her family.

"Where I live you don't get much carp," she said. "I like coming here and meeting people, especially people from England."

There's one Englishman Miss Peters didn't meet this year. Tom Felton, who plays Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter films, couldn't attend the tournament this year because of his filming schedule. The young actor has been co-hosting the tournament with his brother Chris since its inception.

There were competitors from 11 U.S. states, as well as Great Britain, Canada and Germany this year.